Final answer:
In mathematics, the lowercase letter used to denote the square root of -1 is 'i', which stands for the imaginary unit in complex numbers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lowercase letter that mathematicians use to express the square root of -1 is i. This is because in mathematics, the concept of square roots of negative numbers is handled within the framework of complex numbers. The letter i represents the imaginary unit, which by definition has the property that i2 = -1. For any negative number b, the square root of b is written as √b = √(-1)×√(-b) = i√(-b). Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is option 4) i.